Mona Vanderwaal

played by Janel Parrish

Character Biography

Years ago, Mona was desperate to be in Alison's group of friends, but to them she was just a dork to be avoided at all costs. Times have changed since Alison's been gone. Big time. Now Mona is one of the popular kids at school and her BFF is none other than Hanna Marin. But can a person change that much? And when Hanna begins to reconnect with her old friends, what does that mean for Mona?

Janel Parrish portrays the complex character Monal. Originally thought to be the bubbly and materialistic best friend of Hanna Marin, Mona was unmasked as the mysterious tormentor "A" at the end of Season Two.

Born in Hawaii, Parrish started her career with a love for music. She entered and won a state-wide singing contest at age 6 and followed that with being cast in the National Touring Company and Broadway Company of Les Misérables as Little Cosette. It wasn't long before Parrish's Broadway experience and recognition led her to acting auditions in Hollywood. While studying acting, she continued to train vocally, eventually adding piano and dance to her repertoire. She also began writing her own music which led to becoming the lead singer in a three-girl pop group called Impulse.

The past few years have seen Parrish appear in such television shows and made-for-TV movies as Gepetto, Baywatch, The O'Keefes, The Bernie Mac Show, Zoey 101 and, most recently, The O.C. In the summer of 2007 Parrish made her feature film debut starring as Jade, one of the lead characters in the Lionsgate feature film Bratz: The Movie. Immediately following the film's release, she was cast as a guest star on the NBC hit show Heroes.

In 2009 Parrish was busy filming multiple episodes as Kyla on the hit TV show True Jackson, VP on Nickelodeon, and had starring roles in two feature films, One Kine Day and Knots.

Earlier this year Parrish starred in the new Los Angeles production of the stage musical Spring Awakening, which opened at the Theatre of Arts Arena Stage in Hollywood on March 16.

She currently lives in Los Angeles and is well on her way to achieving her dream of becoming a recognized film actress and solo recording artist.